Messages - Lord Leith

Oouff, the Shining is one of my favorite films and easily in my top 5 most replayed films but I dunno if I'd be able to handle the soundtrack while isolated on an island, I very well may go crazy. On its own merits though, it is a wonderful soundtrack.

I still feel embarassment-by-proxy when I hear the name Kissland. While I don't begrudge the Weeknd's transition from underground artist to pop artist (I'd rather these guys try to climb and evolve rather than settle), I can't say that anything he's done since his Trilogy work has really moved the needle for me. I think I've found about 1-2 tracks I like between his last 3 albums. The other day I heard one of his tracks from Madness playing throughout the goddamned grocery store. Now THAT was a sobering moment (now he's a real motherfuckin' Starboy)

I can see where you're coming from, I think Kiss Land is the closest thing we'll get from Weeknd to another instalment in the Trilogy aesthetic but its not as good as Trilogy all considering, I still think there's something special about that era of House of Balloons through Kiss Land though, I think its him at his most authentic and true to self. I like most songs off Beauty Behind the Madness and Starboy (Starboy and I Feel It Coming in particular appeal to me as a Daft Punk fan) but they are more generic and less unique to his character. Sometimes you see flashes of the old style in songs like Often but even then it feels compromised. Oh well, I'll still check out his upcoming releases but I doubt it'll ever be the same.

To bring it around again, I was probably 16 or so when I started to try the Beatles. And well... for whatever reason it just never resonated with me. Little from the 60s-70s era did. This is probably a result of the foundation of shit that I'd already built for my house of music. And I can't help but feel if I'd had a proper music education and exposure growing up, I'd have different ("better") tastes in music.

As someone who grew up along with alternative music, of course I love Nirvana. I encourage anyone else who does to read Heavier than Heaven, a stellar Cobain biography. But while I like the atmosphere and the place their sound occupies on the music history timeline, listening to those albums through has become a chore as I've gotten older.

Thats interesting, you never know how life will shape your tastes in art and media through circumstance. With me for example its sort've the opposite, Discovery was the first album I bought with my own money and since its a French House album, my love for House music then lead to me getting obsessed with samples which then lead to me listening to more 70s and 80s music that inspired the French House sound. Thats not to say I had great music taste as a child though Listened to lots of post grunge butt rock and nu metal I'd be embarrassed to mention here (and of course no longer listen to).

To go full circle since I've mentioned post grunge, yeah I can understand why looking back on Nirvana it might feel like a chore to listen through, do you have an easier time listening through their MTV Unplugged set? I personally don't have trouble listening to Nevermind or In Utero but it definitely sounds dated for better or worse. In Utero in particular has always stuck with me as a piece of introspective art that in hindsight is almost impossible for me to detach from Kurt's suicide, I know it wasn't his intention with making the record and its hard for me to articulate this but there's like a dark aura surrounding the album which makes it very unique to me all these years later.

I should mention that thanks to Walter turning me on to The Weeknd back when he was releasing the Trilogy albums free I totally scored cool points with my student employees when I could identify his music back in the day before he blew up, "You know the Weeknd, David!?" That's right kids, sometimes I hear stuff that turns out to be cool, now back to very specific yet hugely played out 80's thrash metal for me.

Oh, Megadeth is the pure, uncut shit. You know, they'll never beat them on the charts or in the public consciousness, but they basically equaled Metallica in the 80's (YMMV), surpassed them for good in the 90's, and it's been no contest at all since the 2000s, and Metallica's my favorite band. Dave Mustaine lost every battle but has secretly won the war.

Twist my arm... the answer is it's both! Not a classic album but a non-embarrassing return to form(s) that kind of covers everything they've done/do. About a third of the tracks are fun thrashy throwbacks, another third meander into mid-tempo mediocrity, and the rest are ok rockers. "Hardwired" is their best straight ahead thrasher since "Dyer's Eve," "Atlas, Rise!" is a "Four Horsemen"/"Master of Puppets" clone, "Now That We're Dead" is basically a wannabe "Enter Sandman," "Moth Into Flame" is probably the album's best and most original, "Dreaming No More" is a super heavy successor to "The Thing That Should Not Be," "Halo on Fire" is very classic rock and maybe the proggiest offering, "Confusion" has some good riffs (the opening is totally Mario 3 airship music =) but is like some weird red state rock and Hetfield sings when he needs screams ("Disposable Heroes" it is NOT), "ManUNkind" is like a Load cut, "Here Comes Revenge" Reload, "Am I Savage?" is like another enjoyable Black Album reject, "Murder One" sucks (sorry Lemmy, they should have played it more like you), and "Spit Out the Bone" is the other standout track and pretty much a microcosm of their career, like a life in the day of Metallica. They're all listenable though because the main difference between this and the their output since the 90s is Hetfield has his voice back on this one and the production isn't fucked up trying some stupid gimmick.

Yeah its safe to say that House of Balloons, Thursday and Echoes of Silence are modern classics by any measure, they made a big wave in the underground music scene upon initial release, had a huge influence on commercial RnB (what people now call Alternative RnB) and nearly a decade later its still relatively popular and the music has aged incredibly well (which of course is mostly due to how many Weeknd copycats soon followed after and still go on today). What did you and Walter think of Kiss Land? Its often forgotten about since its not as good as Trilogy and wasn't as poppy and commercially successful as Beauty Behind The Madness or Starboy but I think its pretty underrated all considering.

In regards to Megadeth, my thoughts exactly, couldn't have said it better myself. Metallica may very well be the quintessential metal band in the eyes of many and at one point in time, they undeniably were but Megadeth has always appealed to me more for being as you say the pure uncut shit. Thanks a lot for the thorough review/analysis of Hardwired...to Self-Destruct, I can tell you're quite passionate about the subject, metal isn't my go to genre but I respect it a lot as a casual listener so your attention to detail doesn't go unnoticed. I'll give the album a listen, I did like the 3 singles you linked so I'm optimistic despite their last few releases.

The Beatles - The BeatlesNirvana - NevermindQueen - A Night at the Opera

Can't go wrong with any Beatles album but I've always been a Magical Mystery Tour kinda guy, good pick though, has some of George's best Beatles material.I'm always hesitant to pick between Nevermind or In Utero, I ultimately went for In Utero but in all honesty Nevermind is just as good if not better, I think Nevermind flows a lot better than In Utero and probably has more well written songs but the songs that I do like on In Utero, I love way more than anything on Nevermind.Damn it haha A Night at the Opera is brilliant, Im just now realizing thanks to your comment how much it would suck major ass to never hear Queen again while stuck on an island, still happy with my list but I didn't consider that

I've mostly been indifferent/impartial towards Metallica over the years but I do like their early releases (so out of their catalogue, I'd agree with the ones you chose) and I love Megadeth. When it comes to metal I was always more into alt/prog metal like Tool and industrial like KMFDM and to a lesser extent Marilyn Manson. What did you think of "Hardwired...to Self-Destruct"? (Again with the liberal use of ellipsis ), I haven't listened to it but I've heard mixed things about it, varying from it being much better than most of their recent releases and it being mediocre and non-comparable to their old work.

Oh wow, I wouldn't have guessed you for a Weeknd fan Walter, thats cool, Trilogy is definitely his best work so I can agree with that. I've only casually listened to Sigur Ros but I really enjoyed their album Meū Suū Õ Eyrum Viū Spilum Endalaust

I'm sure some of y'all have already heard of this lil' game but if not, the idea is this. If you were stuck on a desert island with nothing but a fully charged phone/record player/or CD player, what would be the top 5 or 10 albums you'd pick to have with you for the foreseeable future? I'm curious as to what this community's tastes in music are.

I don't think the order really matters but feel free to go from least to most favorite or vice versa if you wish. If the album in question is a double or triple disc release then it can be counted as one album regardless of its length. Compilation albums or soundtracks are also fine.

My honourable mentions include Kamasi Washington's The Epic, MJ's Off The Wall, Jon B's Cool Relax and Tyler the Creator's Scum Fuck Flower Boy, all extremely close to making my list but ultimately if Im only stuck with 10 on an island, they'd begrudgingly be omitted. As you can see, I'm mostly fond of Hip Hop, RnB and Funk.

I agree that articulating the feeling such imagery and connotations give off is pretty hard and as you say grasping at smoke but in all honesty I think you've said what I was thinking better than I could say it myself.

Seven years? Wow. Iíve only been a Berserk fan for four years, and this still feels like a long-awaited moment for me. This is another turning point for the series, perhaps even exceeding Gutsí epiphany in the Conviction Arc in force of impact. Itís an exciting time for Berserk fans in general. I can only imagine how you guys who have been reading the series the longest are feeling.

I can only speak for myself with this but in all honesty I think the long waits between episodes and volumes is actually a factor in what makes Berserk so appealing to me, I understand that for a lot of fans the monthly release schedule and hiatuses can kill their hype and stagnate their overall interest in the series (I was the same way a couple years ago) but as I've gotten older I feel like I'm growing with the story and characters, it makes it more epic to me, knowing that the series began years before I was born, that I got into it in high school and that by the time it ends I very well may have a child or two to share it with. (albeit once they're old enough to handle it of course )

Casca being awakened like this totally caught me off guard, I was expecting and willing to wait another 4+ years for it to happen so the day that I woke up and saw the episode, it didn't just make my day or week, its made my entire month. Its moments like this that let me know I can have faith in Miura because no matter how long it takes, he always delivers!

Without a doubt! I think thats a large factor in what makes this so exciting, not only have we gotten Casca back but we have an episode next month to look forward to, hopefully it'll continue focusing on Casca and not diverge back to whatever Rickert is doing or something haha

Edit: Oh I figure I should tell you this (Walter or someone else inevitably will if I don't) but a small correction, immediate releases in Berserk are called episodes while chapters refer to Arcs ala the Golden Age, Black Swordsman, etc, its a common mistake though so no worries

I really donít have any insight to share. Itís been years since Iíve said anything here, or discussed Berserk at length, so youíll have to forgive me. Iím happy to see this forum is still living and breathing, and welcoming new strugglers! I really just wanted to peek my head in for once and share in this momentous occasion.

(Apologies if I overshared there or didnít share enough )

No need to apologize man, we get it, this is truly a new benchmark in Berserk's story, I'm still in disbelief and feeling sentimental over this and I've only been into Berserk for about 7 years, I can't imagine what you and the others who've read it for nearly (or over) 2 decades must be feeling. Oh and welcome back to the forum

Hey man, long time since I've been active too, definitely want and will try to be in the future, especially with so many possible discussions around the billion story threads the series is layered with right now !

Welcome back to the forum! Agreed, Berserk's story has always been amazing but with Ep 354, I simply can't wait for what the future holds. I'd dare say now is the best time to become a Berserk fan or return to it (besides getting into it once its finished years from now).

I'm pretty sure that Casca has no direct affection or love for Griffith himself, so her joining his side is extremely unlikely. After all that she's been through, Im sure that she'll at least feel resentment and at most feel hatred but I do think its fair to say that due to Griffith using her child as a vessel for his rebirth that subconsciously she may have an indirect soft spot towards Griffith, but again, this is less so affection for Griffith than it is her own child. How she'll come into grips with this internal conflict, I have no idea but it is something I look forward to potentially discovering now that Casca has awakened out of her broken mind state.

So in canon, the design of the Idea of Evil is more or less ambiguous (Ep 82) and the lost episode's depiction should be viewed with a grain of salt since its not canon, what is espoused by The God of the Abyss is still more or less canon despite the non canon design though right? I figured that while the episode was removed for revealing too much, what was revealed still held standing in universe. I'll keep in mind that The Idea of Evil can ultimately look like anything or nothing at all, sorta Lovecraftian in the sense that its beyond human understanding, not just a god resembling a heart.

Hey Walter, completely unrelated but before I reply to the actual substance of your reply I just want to say good work of you, Aazealh, Griffith and the others on the podcast, when I first signed up here you had just started it and since then the quality has only improved, yall are my go to Berserk content besides the manga, 90s anime and music.

You're right to bring up the Sea God, in all honesty my memory of latter Berserk chapters is a lil faulty due to a break I took over the slow releases, just started rereading and I'm making an effort to pick up on the subtleties, as of now though Im probably gonna make some mistakes. On that note, Im actually aware that the immediate releases are episodes, I've just always heard of the episode in question referred to as "the lost chapter" so I assumed thats what it was commonly known as, it is inconsistent so I should've guessed that its a mistake; when I say my memory of later chapters are faulty Im specifically referring to post Millennium Falcon arc around the time the ship got involved.

I had no idea though that the visual design of The Idea of Evil was no longer canon, so the concept itself is canon but nothing visually of the episode is? Sorry if its a redundant question, I'm just genuinely confused now as to what is and isn't canon regarding the lost episode. Ultimately you're probably right, Im just overthinking it. Still, I wonder if Miura knows how evocative this design of Casca's heart is to most fans considering the similarities between it and whats commonly interpreted as The Idea of Evil, even if there is no relation I feel like the lost episode is notable enough that he'd surely remember it and know the speculative reaction he'd get out of it.

I realize that speculation goes quite far over what is ultimately a minor detail in the scope of things so it is most likely just overthinking, at the very least there's still something unsettling about it.

So with Episode 354 out, I'm sure plenty of you have noticed the similarity between Casca's heart covered in thorns and The Idea of Evil from the lost chapter, what connection (if any) do you suppose the two have? I recall Miura saying that the reason said chapter was redacted is because it revealed too much too soon, I would say the average assumption is that it revealed too much about Griffith and causality but what if there's actually a relation to Casca?

I doubt the connection was initially planned by Miura at the time of the lost chapter's release but it could certainly be possible that Miura is retroactively adding another layer to The Idea of Evil's scheme and that this added layer concerns Casca and/or her child with Guts. It seems really ominous to me, almost as if The Idea of Evil will have a creeping influence on her but a part of me does figure it could simply be a case of reused/similar designs much like the thorns around Skull Knight's sword or those early illustrations of a cracked skull with a Beherit inside and a rose.

A heart covered in thorns isn't that uncommon of a design so maybe Im overthinking it? It could after all simply be a symbol of her trauma but something tells me Miura wouldn't let the passing similarity in design be just a coincidence.

I guess my timing is pretty great cause I just started rereading Berserk from the beginning after a 2 year break and now I wake up to this episode ending with the suggestion that Casca, one of my favorite characters will return back to normal, hopefully by the time Im done my reread, it'll be March, a new episode will be out and we'll know for sure. Haven't been this excited for future episodes in a loooonnnngg time.

Hey I understand that this is a pretty old thread but I figured it'd be better for me to post here than to needlessly create a new one.

I never got out of Berserk but seeing as how I got into it when I was around 14, I got really occupied and busy with life shortly after joining here so my account hasn't been active for a couple years, Im honestly surprised my account wasn't deleted by the admins or something. 7 years later (approx), I still love Berserk (I guess thats self evident) and I figured I'd come back to the forum since the newest Berserk episodes have really peaked my interest.

Anyways I've technically been here for a while but I guess you could say that Im a new member Looking forward to posting more and exchanging words with fellow Berserk fans, with episode 354 out gods know how much I need to passionately ramble about how excited I am for the future of Berserk. Casca waking up and looking back to normal has made me so happy, its truly hard to put into words

My kitty, Luigi.http://i41.tinypic.com/2wqbaj6.jpgHe's nice, and a great hunter, he tends to bring flying squirrels, ordinary squirrels, rabbits, etc, although recently he hurt his left arm, so he's mostly just sleeping around at the moment

My 15 year old kitty, Mounie, ( I later realized, what Mounie means in Greek...pretty embarrassing)http://i44.tinypic.com/344f9d5.jpgShe seems to hate other cats, and all dogs for that matter, but she loves humans to death, always begging for attention, although she can get a little rough sometimes, she punched my dog in the face for him sniffing her rear.

Should probably put up a picture of my dog, but my current photos aren't very good.Put these as links, since the images were too large when I posted them here.